3 months in Paris - ideas and suggestions
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Juan Valdenebro
Truth is beauty
No club, but:
Decide now the equipment you'll use in Paris, and use it intensely these weeks before your trip. Check your images on real prints, not in a computer.
More than enough gear would be one body with a normal fast lens, and another body with a wide and a tele you can change.
Order now a lot of great fast and slow film! It's beautiful and cheap!
Cheers,
Juan
Decide now the equipment you'll use in Paris, and use it intensely these weeks before your trip. Check your images on real prints, not in a computer.
More than enough gear would be one body with a normal fast lens, and another body with a wide and a tele you can change.
Order now a lot of great fast and slow film! It's beautiful and cheap!
Cheers,
Juan
martin s
Well-known
Source: The Photography Post / Slate.com
I can't vouch for accuracy, but that border does look threatening.
martin
filmfan
Well-known
LOL.. AN INCREDIBLE LAUGH (quite brilliant actually)
DabCan10
Established
I was planning on buying film ahead of time and bringing it with me, but I'm a bit worried that it will get damaged in my bags (checked luggage). I guess I could stuff a bunch in my carry on though.
leica M2 fan
Veteran
Suggestion: Reading material
Suggestion: Reading material
Might I suggest reading, if you haven't already, "Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnik. This book story line parallels your upcoming situation in Paris. He outlines many things to see for himself and also, very importantly, for his young child. Who knows, maybe you'll find it amusing and entertaining. Good luck in Paris, there is so much to see, 3 months might not be enough time!
Suggestion: Reading material
Might I suggest reading, if you haven't already, "Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnik. This book story line parallels your upcoming situation in Paris. He outlines many things to see for himself and also, very importantly, for his young child. Who knows, maybe you'll find it amusing and entertaining. Good luck in Paris, there is so much to see, 3 months might not be enough time!
JohnTF
Veteran
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Recommend you visit European Maison de Photographie, on line 7, across Ile de la Cite from Notre Dame, if you are a Teacher of any kind, take some ID with a date on it, the Musee D'Orsay is free and you do not have to wait in line, as is the Orangerie, and Pantheon (great view, and famous folks buried) and many things are discounted for teachers. An ITIC, (International Teachers ID) card lets you also buy cheap and one way tickets for travel at any of about six offices.
Been a while, but I used to visit often and stay about a month, for classic equipment, better to sell in Paris than buy. ;-) Still, Maison du Leica, and the others near Bastille are a lot of fun. There is a Nikon shop with a whole wall of the owner's collection. Hoping they are all still there.
45 Quai des Grands Augustins -- Cote Seine, have been going there since they opened, legit menu, reasonable, and really quite good, the menu really includes everything.
Recommend the wing of sting ray, and all the deserts. Kir Royal, house wine and coffee were all included with the entrees, on the left bank between Pont Neuf and Notre Dame.
I liked shooting along the river near Ile de la Cite, the old guys fishing, some pretty ladies, and the markets that open once or twice a week. Luxembourg gardens are nice, near Odeon in the 6th close to the 5th arr.
Crepes on the street, (wear an old shirt, some is going to drip).
Churches, La Chapelle, bring the widest lens you have, and St. Denis, said to be the first Gothic Cathedral, up in the north. St. Sulpice in the 6th, not ornate, but quiet and interesting light, plus the great streets in the area.
Wine, any Margeaux or St. Julien.
I would avoid the areas around the Gare du Nord and l'Est, at least at night.
Try to sample all the cheeses, only about 300, ;-)
A city for good legs.
Please excuse my spellings, it has been a while, and I really never wrote much in French.
People were almost universally nice to me, the only rude French I met all work at the airports, seems to be required there, but the French have a dry sense of humor I find, and often they are dead pan in joking and people mistake it for attitude, OTOH, at the airport, they are openly rude, unless all those guys retired by now.
Regards, John
Been a while, but I used to visit often and stay about a month, for classic equipment, better to sell in Paris than buy. ;-) Still, Maison du Leica, and the others near Bastille are a lot of fun. There is a Nikon shop with a whole wall of the owner's collection. Hoping they are all still there.
45 Quai des Grands Augustins -- Cote Seine, have been going there since they opened, legit menu, reasonable, and really quite good, the menu really includes everything.
Recommend the wing of sting ray, and all the deserts. Kir Royal, house wine and coffee were all included with the entrees, on the left bank between Pont Neuf and Notre Dame.
I liked shooting along the river near Ile de la Cite, the old guys fishing, some pretty ladies, and the markets that open once or twice a week. Luxembourg gardens are nice, near Odeon in the 6th close to the 5th arr.
Crepes on the street, (wear an old shirt, some is going to drip).
Churches, La Chapelle, bring the widest lens you have, and St. Denis, said to be the first Gothic Cathedral, up in the north. St. Sulpice in the 6th, not ornate, but quiet and interesting light, plus the great streets in the area.
Wine, any Margeaux or St. Julien.
I would avoid the areas around the Gare du Nord and l'Est, at least at night.
Try to sample all the cheeses, only about 300, ;-)
A city for good legs.
Please excuse my spellings, it has been a while, and I really never wrote much in French.
People were almost universally nice to me, the only rude French I met all work at the airports, seems to be required there, but the French have a dry sense of humor I find, and often they are dead pan in joking and people mistake it for attitude, OTOH, at the airport, they are openly rude, unless all those guys retired by now.
Regards, John
JohnTF
Veteran
- Local time
- 9:28 AM
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- Jul 11, 2008
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All the airlines tell you not to check film, you can get a lot in carry on with out the boxes. 120 film will not set off metal detectors, Kodak used to have a processing center on Av. Stalingrad in Ville Juif, end of line 7, I used to drop off my slide film there and they posted the Kodachrome to my home.
At the duty free in Paris, they have terrific nylon bags which were quite cheap, durable, (straps all the way around), could be checked, and as the airports are said to make more from duty free than from flights, they tend to allow duty free bags freely. Besides, you can give a few away having picked them up at the last minute on the way home and people back here love them, come to think of it, pick up a few for me. ;-)
Getting in, the RER metro runs in to the airport at Rossy (CDG), but it is a haul to get your luggage down there, Air France runs buses between the airports and to the center, easy to get on, you can wheel your luggage to the bus, and you can get off some where in the center and take a taxi from there. Taxi's from the airport -- they should let you keep the car at their rates.
Have fun, it is a beautiful place. Lots and lots of small parks for the little one, and you can get some great kid photos. The areas near the Eiffel Tower generally have a lot of play area as well, and you have to rent the remote control boats at the Luxemburg gardens. ;-)
J
Last edited:
DabCan10
Established
Thanks again for all the advice. I did just finish reading "Paris to the Moon" and I agree that three months is not long enough compared to the author's 5 years. If there was a way for my wife or I to be employed or at least bring in some income then we would stay longer of course!
Juan Valdenebro
Truth is beauty
Do buy film ahead of time, and while traveling have it with you... Never place it in your checked luggage... In your carry on you can easily have two small transparent ziplock bags without boxes or canisters with 100 rolls... No problem that way, including ISO 400 color through several airports...
Cheers,
Juan
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SolaresLarrave
My M5s need red dots!
Developing film in Europe is expensive. Keep that in mind. Otherwise, label your film canisters, keep a log of your photographic outings and enjoy. I wish I were in your place... Some day...
jhawker
Member
Paris
Paris
Hello All,
Martin's map is a real hoot!
Take good walking shoes, practice patience.
Paris will reward.
Go to Cafe Balzar and Le Polidor, mmm.
Pelforth fo all!.
JH
Paris
Hello All,
Martin's map is a real hoot!
Take good walking shoes, practice patience.
Paris will reward.
Go to Cafe Balzar and Le Polidor, mmm.
Pelforth fo all!.
JH
le vrai rdu
Well-known
for paris, bnice place for street photo are imho :
right bank
rue de rivoli
canal saint martin et ourcq
10 11 16 18 20 eme arrondissement
don't miss the hippodromes it is a great place to see
go t belleville (19eme) many of willy ronis pictures where made there (it is where I live 😀 )
right bank
rue de rivoli
canal saint martin et ourcq
10 11 16 18 20 eme arrondissement
don't miss the hippodromes it is a great place to see
go t belleville (19eme) many of willy ronis pictures where made there (it is where I live 😀 )
rolleistef
Well-known
From a Parisian :
Buy a monthly carte orange which is the travelcard for the transports.
Spend the first week walking without a camera in the street. Take the metro, take the RER. Go to the big museums. Read newspaper and literature. Travel across France. Go to cafés.
The arrondissement are shaped similarly to a snail shell.
Since you're in Paris for quite a long time, you can afford visiting individually each arrondissement. The little picture that was displayed on page 1 is not completely wrong but hardly followable.
1 to 4th arrondissement is the old heart of Paris. Le Louvre is the largest museum and palace in the world, and visiting it on wednesday and friday's late opening is truly fantastic.
5 to 8th are the more bourgeois "dormitory" arrondissements, as opposed to more functional central ones. 6th and 7th arrondissements are the most expensive ones, near to the Sorbonne's Quartier Latin. Boulevard Saint-Michel used to be full of library but for the last 20 years it's been extensively colonised by clothing shops. There are lots of lovely art et essai cinemas where you can enjoy old films in pocket-size theatres.
Part of the 13th arrondissement has conserved much of the popular parisian atmosphere, while the Place d'Italy/Porte d'Italie has been rebuilt in the 1970s. Architecturaly interesting if you're bored by Mr Hausmann's buildings.
Don't spend to much time in Montmartre. It's been invaded by tourists and spending 3 months in paris means you're not a tourist anymore. Or if you wish to do so, get off the tube at Abesse (line 2 and 12) and reach the ugly white church on the top from the rear of the hill.
La Défense, Paris's CBD, is the spot for camera testing. Go there and you'll understand why.
The list could go on for ages so here are a few advice :
Do cross the périphérique, go and see what's out. Paris is not just a city, it's got a suburb pictured as crude and dangerous by some foreign media, but actually the region's got 10.5 millions inhabitants, and it's also full of nice villages, countryside, art and history towns (St-Germain en Laye, Auvers-sur-Oise, Marmottan...) The railway and tube system transports daily 4.5 million people, but despite having reached its saturation point (with trains every 3 minutes running faster than 60mph at rush hour), it's very efficient and perfect if you want just to explore.
For your films :
Go to Négatif Plus, 107 rue Lafayette, métro Poissonière line 7 (go out and search for the Kodak sign). They sell cheap film (4.5€ a roll of HP5 in 120), process by 5pm if you drop them before 1.30, 4.50 processing only, 8€ processing and printing.
Prophot, 37-39 rue condorcet, métro Cadet (line 7) or Anvers (line 2). All you need from paper to chemicals to flashes to every imaginable film, cheap expired films kept in a fridge. It's not a lab, though, just a shop.
If you feel rich, go to Boulvard Beaumarchais which is the street for photo equipment. It's expensive, though. La Maison du Leica, French official importer, is there.
Since you might want to taste some local gastronomy, take some of those things preventing you from being sick eating the blandest camembert, and milk in general. Remember that a the smellier a cheese, the better the taste!
In case of emergency, dial 18 for firepeople, 15 for ambulance and 17 for the police. In case of dire emergency go to WH Smith on rue de Rivoli, and buy english speaking literature.
Last of all, do contact le vrai rdu or any other parisian RFFer and I'm sure we'll be very happy to guide you through the city!
Best,
Stéphane
Buy a monthly carte orange which is the travelcard for the transports.
Spend the first week walking without a camera in the street. Take the metro, take the RER. Go to the big museums. Read newspaper and literature. Travel across France. Go to cafés.
The arrondissement are shaped similarly to a snail shell.
Since you're in Paris for quite a long time, you can afford visiting individually each arrondissement. The little picture that was displayed on page 1 is not completely wrong but hardly followable.
1 to 4th arrondissement is the old heart of Paris. Le Louvre is the largest museum and palace in the world, and visiting it on wednesday and friday's late opening is truly fantastic.
5 to 8th are the more bourgeois "dormitory" arrondissements, as opposed to more functional central ones. 6th and 7th arrondissements are the most expensive ones, near to the Sorbonne's Quartier Latin. Boulevard Saint-Michel used to be full of library but for the last 20 years it's been extensively colonised by clothing shops. There are lots of lovely art et essai cinemas where you can enjoy old films in pocket-size theatres.
Part of the 13th arrondissement has conserved much of the popular parisian atmosphere, while the Place d'Italy/Porte d'Italie has been rebuilt in the 1970s. Architecturaly interesting if you're bored by Mr Hausmann's buildings.
Don't spend to much time in Montmartre. It's been invaded by tourists and spending 3 months in paris means you're not a tourist anymore. Or if you wish to do so, get off the tube at Abesse (line 2 and 12) and reach the ugly white church on the top from the rear of the hill.
La Défense, Paris's CBD, is the spot for camera testing. Go there and you'll understand why.
The list could go on for ages so here are a few advice :
Do cross the périphérique, go and see what's out. Paris is not just a city, it's got a suburb pictured as crude and dangerous by some foreign media, but actually the region's got 10.5 millions inhabitants, and it's also full of nice villages, countryside, art and history towns (St-Germain en Laye, Auvers-sur-Oise, Marmottan...) The railway and tube system transports daily 4.5 million people, but despite having reached its saturation point (with trains every 3 minutes running faster than 60mph at rush hour), it's very efficient and perfect if you want just to explore.
For your films :
Go to Négatif Plus, 107 rue Lafayette, métro Poissonière line 7 (go out and search for the Kodak sign). They sell cheap film (4.5€ a roll of HP5 in 120), process by 5pm if you drop them before 1.30, 4.50 processing only, 8€ processing and printing.
Prophot, 37-39 rue condorcet, métro Cadet (line 7) or Anvers (line 2). All you need from paper to chemicals to flashes to every imaginable film, cheap expired films kept in a fridge. It's not a lab, though, just a shop.
If you feel rich, go to Boulvard Beaumarchais which is the street for photo equipment. It's expensive, though. La Maison du Leica, French official importer, is there.
Since you might want to taste some local gastronomy, take some of those things preventing you from being sick eating the blandest camembert, and milk in general. Remember that a the smellier a cheese, the better the taste!
In case of emergency, dial 18 for firepeople, 15 for ambulance and 17 for the police. In case of dire emergency go to WH Smith on rue de Rivoli, and buy english speaking literature.
Last of all, do contact le vrai rdu or any other parisian RFFer and I'm sure we'll be very happy to guide you through the city!
Best,
Stéphane
Last edited:
le vrai rdu
Well-known
for film and photo stuff, Photostock, porte de pantin M°5 🙂
le vrai rdu
Well-known
and concerning the photo courses club etc, the best way is to go out with your camera, don't spend time with people more interested by their "legendary gear" than what they can see
filmfan
Well-known
photostock is a great place.
Kawabatnam
Established
Hi, I second this, Photostock is great, they have good prices, wide choices of films etc. and a website. Don't risk xray issues with your films, just order them online (http://www.photostock.fr/boutique/liste_rayons.cfm) ahead and have them delivered at your future place in Paris a few days after your arrival.
Do not hesitate to have your films processed at PCP (http://www.photo-pcp.com/) again, good prices, reliable and fast (and even custom) work, 35mm + medium format, super nice people etc.
I believe the best way to enjoy Paris a camera in hand is to rent or buy a bike and go everywhere: I do this all the time, with a bike it is so easy to stop anytime (no car park worries), travel relatively fast and best of all, in no time you can get to the end of that long boulevard just to test a different perspective.
Have a nice stay.